NOTES BY "THE DUCMESS"

Observer, Volume 2, Issue 52, 10 September 1881, Page 612

NOTES BY "THE DUCMESS"

i — It is a long time since a new dress was seen in Queen-street. The fact is, it is the off season. Winter dresses are done. Spring costumes have hardly come in. Below is the first instalment of what will soon be a galaxy of new and pretty toilettes. — Miss Jones, dark brown rep, trimmed with velvet of a darker shade. Black hat. —Mrs James Buckland, wine-coloured handkerchief costume, trimmed with velvet to match. Sealskin hat. — Miss Lawford, skirt of black cashmere, trimmed with black silk, and black jersey. Black velvet hat. — Miss Gossott, dark brown cashmere, with brown silk bodice of a lighter shade, ovcrskirt caught up with cords and tassels. — The usher in the " Trial by Jury" has lately had placed before him the two very opposite sciences, law versus music, and has been wisely counselled to take his choice, no man being able to serve two masters. " Music has charms to soothe the savage breast." Yes, but not to soothe the savage breast out of seven or eight hundred pounds a year, which the law can very easily do if well attended, so take a friend's advice, Jim, and stick to the law, it pays best. — I see the Ponsonby Highway Board are going to plant trees up either side of College Hill. Good for the trees. But is it quite advisable to spend money on anything, until the inhabitants of England-street, and the adjacent streets are dug out of the slough of despond in which they have been reposing all the winter months. It is a positive fact that they have been obliged to take down the palings in each other's yards and gardens, and so seek a passage through to terra Jirma, egress by their own doors being utterly impossible ! Would it not have been a wiser and a kinder tiling to have left the formation of Englandstreet alone until the spring, when it might successfully have been carried on to completion ? — The Cinderella d«nce, at Mount Albert, on Thursday, September Ist, was a very enjoyable one. It was not too crowded, about 50 people being present, the preponderance being gentlemen, winch always makes a party pleasant — to the ladies. The hall was 'prettily decoratod, the floor in good condition, and Miss Katey Isaacs, with most people, bore away the palm, if not of belle, at least of belle toilette. — Mrs Greenwood wore black satin, trimmed with cardinal plush ; Mrs Stevenson and Mrs Waterhouse were in black silk ; Mrs Isaacs, very handsome black silk covered with beaded trimmings, and old gold cap ; Mrs Masefield, black grenadine, trimmed with old gold fringe and cardinal bows ; Mrs Stone, blue silk, trimmed with swansdown and white lace ; Mrs Williams, black silk, white cap ; Mrs Wright, black silk, with salmon-pink sash ; Miss Kate Isaacs, very pretty dress of white silk with silvcrfringe ; Miss Jennie Isaacs, plain white satin ; Miss James, black grenadine, with pale blue sash j Miss Evans, blue sateen, trimmed with white lace ; Miss Dunnet, black and gold ; Miss L. Williams, wliitc and scarlet ; Miss Ida Williams, white and blue. — The Ponsonby "At Home " was crowded on Friday, September 2nd. But I am sorry to say there "were more ladies than men, consequently the dance could not have been productive of much pleasure to some among the young ladies who had to distinguish themselves as wallflowers. But as nothing delights a man so much as feeling himself of great importance, I suppose it is a well these inequalities should happen sometimes. The hall was as usual beautifully decorated with arum lilies, ferns, and flags,and the committee were urbane and übiquitous as ever. I don't think anyone who saw Mr Upton flying round in the Ponsonby Hall, and enjoying himself a Poutrance (as whyshouldn't he?), would ever recognise him as the sedate and staid gentleman who makes such an excellent head of that first-rate establishment in Queen-street. Mrs Bayntun wore lavender silk, trimmed with Avine-coloured velvet ; Mrs Waterhouse, pale blue muslin and white lace ; Mrs C. Mclndoe, black silk ; Mrs F. Mclndoe, blue silk, trimmed with white lace ; Mrs Brigham, black silk ; Mrs Lawrence, black satin, trimmed with old gold satin ; Mrs Furby, white silk, trimmed with white lace (a long spray of ivy leaves from waist to hip upon the skirt); Mrs Devore, black grenadine ; Mrs Upton, black silk ; Mrs Bree, black silk ; Mrs A. E. Lewis, black velvet ; Miss Home, white muslin ; Miss F. Home, white muslin, trimmed with broad white lace, and tartan sash; Miss Harley, black grenadine, with white lace, and scarlet bows ; Miss Langsford, black silk with beaded trimming ; Miss George, black silk, with sash and sleeves of pale bluesurat silk ; Miss H. Langsford, black silk skirt, pink sateen polonaise, laced up the back with black cord 5 Miss Bidder, white cashmere, sash of dark | blue covered with lace ; Miss Halstead, white cashmere, trimmed with white satin ; Miss Oldham, white cashmere, with scarlet; MissFulloon, combination of black silk and black velvet, coral ornaments ; Miss Barnes, pale blue sateen, trimmed with pale pink sateen ; Miss Evans, pink tarletan, trimmed with white. — Once more a dance in the old Parnell Hall ! Well, the hall itself might bear regeneration, and the decorations might have been brighter and fresher (they were those left from the railway ball of the preceding evening) ; but the occasion brought together a large and fashionable assembly. Nearly all the fair, and young, and brave among the " gilded youth " of Auckland put in an appearance on the evening of the 6th. The floor at first was very heavy, but got a little lighter towards the small hours. There were rows of girls sitting down. How is it that at these large assemblies stewards are not appointed to do a little introduction for those ladies who are not so well known to the Jiabitues of ball-rooms ? It is not here considered " the thing " for a lady to introduce a gentleman to another lady unless

the gentleman asJcs for the introduction ; consequently the ladies' hands are tied. There were fully 150 people present. The dais was so crowded with married ladies that it was very difficult to distinguish what their dresses were like, except that the prevailing colour (if I may say so) was black. Mrs Whitaker wore black satin ; Mrs Fairburn, Mrs Churton, and Mrs Isaacs wore black silk ; Mrs Fenton, black velvet ; Mrs Flood, white silk with saffron roses ; Mrs John Mowbray, white silk with white roses ; Mrs Ruck, old gold sateen trimmed with black lace ; Mrs Walker, Mrs Cheeseman and Mrs White, black silk ; Mrs Ford, black satin ; Mrs Douglas, black grenadine trimmed with white lace ; Mrs Kettle, black grenadine trimmed with scarlet. The Misses Whitaker, blue sateens trimmed with white lace, made Mother Hubbard style ; Mis.s Connell, Avhite silk with pink roses on right shoulder ; Miss Fenton, black satin beaded bodice over black grenadine skirt, red and white daisies on right shoulder and in her hair ; Miss Edith Fenton, black velvet bodice, with skirt of black grenadine ; Miss Lawford, black grenadine trimmed, with white silk fringe, blue forget-me-nots in her hair ; Miss L. Lawford, maize tarlatane trimmed with black lace ; Miss Walker, very pretty dress of pale pink ; Miss C. Walker, dress of pale blue ; Mrs H. George, white cashmere ; Miss Eva Greorge, white muslin, white satin Swiss belt ; Miss Gould, pale blue Japanese silk ; Miss Monro, black grenadine with scarlet ilowers ; Miss Haultain, cream china silk trimmed with crimson silk ; Miss Isaacs, white satin with pink wreath ; Miss K. Isaacs, white figured silk, skirt buillonnccd with pink silk ; Miss Jones, pale blue lustre trimmed with old gold satin ; Miss Fairburn, pretty dress made with dark blue silk bodice, cream skirt, blue silk scraper ; Miss Thomas, pale blue silk ; Miss Brewer, black satin;. Miss A. Brewer, pale blue bodice, pale pink skirt ; Miss C. White, black grenadine, "with scarlet flowers ; Miss Cheese-man, dress of pale pink ; Miss Mowbray, black grenadine ; Miss Burtt, black grenadine, trimmed with crimson ; Miss Clayton, black satin, Avith necklace of pale blue beads ; Miss Eoskruge, black and scarlet ; Miss B. Keesing, pale pink silk, trimmed with white lace ; Miss E. Keesing, crimson satin skirt, with overskirt of pale blue muslin ; Miss Mulgan, pink silk ; Miss Lina Moss, pale blue tarletane. I must not omit to mention that the music was the best I have heard in any ball-room for a long while, and that the two extras played by Miss Lawford were magnificent. This young lady has a brilliant touch,, and her time is perfect. Among the loveliest of the dresses worn at the recent State Ball at Buckingham Palace was a gold brocade, with stomacher of yellow topaz, the upper part of the bodice being also thickly encrusted with similar gems. The whole of the front of the skirt was covered with yellow Mai'gueritcs, a wreath of the same being worn in the hair. A green velvet bodice was embroidered in emeralds, in the form of shamrocks. Large white and yellow water lilies formed the trimming of the skirt, which was of pale green tulle, contrasting with the dark myrtle green of the bodice. A water-lily bud, with a few leaves, nestled in the hair. A brown tulle dress was caught back with sunflowers. Another brown tulle, of a dark shade, had the front breadth almost covered with forget-me-nots, a long trail of which crossed the bodice diagonally. Flower tabliers were seen in many instances, but they readily crush, and are effective only in the beginning of the evening. A beautiful white satin dress, trimmed with old lace, had the front embroidered in mother-of-pearl and seed pearls, the effect being, in colour, like the back of a mackerel in the sun. A very tall girl wore blue satin of a very pale tint, scattered over with bunches and trails of hedge roses, wliite and pale pink. This dress was extremly effective beside the uniforms, but for the most part the white toilets carried off the palm in this respect. A cream-white Indian muslin, trimmed with brown leaves and small yellow blossoms, was very successful, and so was a combination of yellow satin and Avhite silvered gauze, worn with opals and diamonds. Flower fringes formed a graceful addition to many of the dresses. On a pale pink silk, a fringe of japonica blooms looked well, but Avas open to the charge of inconsistency, for the stalks are far from limp, and could never by any possibility hang down when in a natural state. Such blossoms as buttercups, cyclamen, and others of the non-Avoody kinds are correct enough. A very young bride Avore a lovely gOAvn of pale pink satin covered Avith pale pink tulle, the folds of Avhieh were held with apple-blossoms.